Guardian 27,071 – Rufus

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Mostly a quick and easy solve today, with a couple of old chestnuts (well, it is nearly Christmas..), though I had a bit of trouble finishing off the SW corner. Thanks to Rufus.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
9. STEEP Set new record that’s very demanding (5)
SET* + EP
10. ACCORDION Agreement to unit working the instrument (9)
ACCORD + 1 (unit) + ON (working)
11. DOG KENNEL In which a boxer may drop his guard? (3,6)
Cryptic definition, though I’m not entirely sure what Rufus is getting at here
12. NYMPH Girl in New York taking speed (5)
NY + M.P.H.
13. EXAMPLE No longer plentiful, for instance (7)
EX + AMPLE
15. SAVELOY Sausage and veal cooked in sauce (7)
VEAL* in SOY
17. CREDO Statement of faith many repeat (5)
C (100) + REDO
18. SAD The German returns depressed (3)
Reverse of DAS, German “the” for neuter nouns
20. RIDER Clause added for a cyclist (5)
Double definition
22. LADDERS Fifty snakes — and their partners (7)
L + ADDERS – I’m sure I’ve seen this, or something like it, a few times before
25. NEEDLES Unnecessary loss of a point irritates (7)
NEEDLES[S] – .. and this one even more often
26. BOOKS They are bound to look better and last longer (5)
Cryptic definition
27. INITIATED Began by being made a member (9)
Double definition
30. ANATOMIST An old philosopher now in charge of dissecting? (9)
AN ATOMIST (proponent of the old philiosphy of atomism)
31. ACRID Bill gets free bitter (5)
AC + RID
Down
1. USED Accustomed to being exploited (4)
Double definition
2. BELGRADE Large bed ordered? Capital! (8)
(LARGE BED)*
3. EPEE Handy fencing implement (4)
Cryptic definition, though I’m not sure what “handy” is doing here: épées are held in the hand, but so are any fencing swords
4. LAUNDERS Illegally transfers money from Arundel’s refurbishment (8)
ARUNDEL’S*
5. SCALES What most fish have to be weighed on (6)
Double definition
6. TRANSVERSE New stars never cross (10)
(STARS NEVER)*
7. DISMAL Gloomy sergeant major has face put out (6)
SM in DIAL (face)
8. INCH In certain charts it may indicate a mile (4)
Hidden in certaIN CHarts – it may represent a mile in e.g. the old “one inch to one mile” Ordnance Survey maps
13. EXCEL Do well, taking about ninety fish (5)
XC in EEL
14. PROFESSION Calling for a statement (10)
Double definition
16. YARDS Measures the mast beams (5)
Double definition
19. DENTISTS They fill much of their working days (8)
Cryptic definition
21. DILATORY After a cover up, politician is shilly-shallying (8)
Reverse of LID + A TORY
23. DVORAK God willing, it’s all right to admit artist and composer (6)
DV (Deo Volente, God willing) + RA in OK
24. SPIRIT Alcohol providing animation (6)
Double definition
26. BEAT Cane provided by master (4)
Double definition
28. IVAN One on the front line in Russia? (4)
I + VAN, with a bit of an overlap of definition and wordplay
29. DIDO Mythological princess performed with nothing on (4)
DID + O

27 comments on “Guardian 27,071 – Rufus”

  1. A fairly routine Rufus, though BEAT and AN ATOMIST held me up a little at the end.

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew

  2. Thanks Rufus and Andrew

    You’ve mentioned most of the ones that bothered me, Andrew; in addition why is Dido defined as “princess”? The one I’m thinking of was founder and first Queen of Carthage; she was the daughter of a King, so had been a princess, but surely she is better known in later life?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido

    I did like the clue for DILATORY.

  3. I’m with beery hiker on this one, right down to the final two. Not entirely sure I liked BEAT: one of those where you feel there might be other solutions and you don’t have enough to go on to be sure. I don’t get DOG KENNEL. Quite liked DENTISTS – and went for ‘diarists’ before the cross checkers ruled it out.

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew for the comments.

  4. Thanks, Rufus and Andrew.

    I agree with most of your reservations, especially 11 DOG KENNEL.

    I don’t know whether 17 CREDO was one of your “old chestnuts”, but it was new to me and my favourite here: I liked the &lit-ish surface.

  5. 11 ac DOG KENNEL. I understood it to mean that when the boxer dog was in its kennel it was off-duty and therefore not on-guard and so could be said to have dropped its guard. Yes, well – it’s not brilliant, is it?

    Thanks Andrew and Rufus

  6. 15a: I’m not happy about sauce = soy. You might as well say sauce = tomato. My partner disagrees though and says soy on its own could be sauce

  7. pex @6: Loathe, though I am, to contribute to domestic disharmony, I’d have to side with your partner on this one. I’m certainly happy with ‘soy’ on its own. The problem is that, whilst ‘soy’ can get you to ‘sauce’, the reverse is far more difficult.

  8. Thanks Rufus and Andrew.

    Easyish solve but I thought some lovely clues, particularly LADDERS, ANATOMIST, EXCEL, DENTISTS and DILATORY.

    Why are politicians in crosswords almost always Tories (and occasionally Liberals), perhaps we need more lefty setters – although that would not fit with the current direction of the Grauniad!

  9. A bit of a Rufus write-in except for DILATORY, which I got stuck on for some reason. I liked ACRID, NYMPH and ANATOMIST. Smooth surfaces as always. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  10. Hammer @8: I can’t claim authorship of any of these – I just did a quick Google search for the fun of it. But, in answer to your plea above, here are three lefty clues for you:

    Saint among liberal opposition (10)
    Left backing return of Labour Party (4)
    Obstreperous Russian initially rejected communist’s directive (5)

    and, to even up the balance, one from the right

    UKIP man not quite right in foreign country (5)

  11. Trickier than last Monday’s Rufus but still quite user friendly. I liked ANATOMIST and DILATORY. I thought DOG KENNEL was Ok but it’s my birthday today so I’m full of affability.
    Thanks Rufus

  12. Thank you Rufus and Andrew.

    Visions of Molesworth made me first think of BEAK for 26d, but it had to be BEAT. The clues for CREDO, DOG KENNEL, LADDERS, SCALES and DENTISTS were all good fun.

  14. You don’t know how much better I feel after reading this blog. All went smoothly until three clues were left in the SW. It took a very long break and a false start at 26d before the disappointingly prosaic BEAT went in. ANATOMIST was pretty much all that was left for 30a (ATOMIST is well beyond my philosophical knowledge) and the groan that accompanied BOOKS may well have been heard next door.

  15. I got the word PLATO stuck in my head for 30A and although I realised it wasn’t right I just couldn’t shift it. Sadly I’m currently suffering the same issue with Michael Bolton’s version of White Christmas.

  16. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew. Enjoyable as usual, but (like others above) for differing reasons I had to pause over BEAT, EPEE, DOG KENNEL, and DIDO because I was not convinced they were correct.

  19. Mark @ 7: Thanks for that. Obviously I was hoping to win the argument but instead I shall stay silent as it will be forgotten by the time I see her next.

  21. Quite a satisfying puzzle, though I am with others in disliking 26a BOOKS and 26d BEAT. However, on balance, I enjoyed several other solves like 13a EXAMPLE, 15a SAVELOY and, as mentioned previously, 19d DENTISTS (not that I ever actually enjoy visits to dentists, or eating saveloys, for that matter).

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  24. I didn’t have time to do this puzzle yesterday, but it has been a quick warm up for a possibly tougher Chifonie this morning. I struggled with my last two in the SW too, initially trying to justify “platonist” and looking for a noun for “cane”, perhaps “belt”. I interpreted DOG KENNEL in the same way as cholecyst @5, but I liked it. LADDERS may be an old chestmut but I don’t remember seeing it before and I rather liked that too.

    Thanks, Rufus and Andrew

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